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Smoked BBQ chicken (finger-licking good)

Our Sunday BBQ wasn’t complete without the addition of a whole smoked chicken to serve alongside our Cuban smoked pork. What a treat this bird was too, I was surprised at first that it only took an hour to cook and was unbelievably moist. This simple recipe is a real treat on your Weber BBQ – trust me!

So simple, I was blown away at how good this chicken tasted with so little done to it. The sauce used to cover the meat once cooked was also a little gem – it made the meat even more delicious and added a burst of Summer into your mouth – orange zest and cloudy apple juice added a wonderful complexity to the smokiness from barbequing the bird over coals.

The family loved this – and the bird was literally nothing but bones but the end of dinner – with nothing left but the frame. I’ll take that as a compliment, and a testament to the power of a good old fashioned BBQ.

Serves 5

Smoky, tender and full of flavour

The List:

For the chicken:

90ml tomato sauce

1 Tbs dark brown sugar

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 whole chicken

Salt and pepper

For the sauce:

120ml cloudy apple juice

60ml apple cider vinegar

1 Tbs orange zest

1 Tbs dark brown sugar

1/2 Tbs celery seeds

The Method:

Light a fire over to one side of your grill, using enough coals to fill one and a half shoeboxes

Combine the tomato sauce, sugar, coriander and cumin in a small bowl and mix well

Place the chicken on a cutting board, breast side down, and push down on it to flatten out the breast meat. Then place into a dish and cover the bird in the tomato sauce mix

When the fire in the BBQ has died down and the coals are covered in white ash, place the chicken breast side up onto the grill and cover with the BBQ lid leaving the vents a quarter open. Cook for 30 minutes, then add a half a shoebox more of coals and flip the bird over, cooking for a further 30-45 minutes. To test the bird, use a fork to pull off the chicken’s drumstick, if it pulls away easily the bird is done. Remove from the grill and leave to rest covered in foil for 15-20 minutes

Meanwhile combine all of your ingredients for the sauce in a small saucepan and cook gently for 10 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by half

Carve your chicken and drizzle over the sauce

Enjoy! Serve with fresh salad, such as my corn salad, some bread rolls and baked potatoes.

Serve carved up on a chopping board for everyone to serve themselves at the table